Texas Air & Space Museum

Harold English

Harold English--bricklayer, pilot, entrepreneur, barnstormer, war trader, airline executive and captain, and aviation promoter extraordinaire--almost single-handedly brought the wonder of aviation to the Texas Panhandle and subsequently to much of the nation between Oklahoma City and Albuquerque New Mexico.

Had not an early death on a night darkened highway west of the city taken the life of Harold English, an airport that he inspired, built and named--and which at the time was recognized as one of the greatest airports in the United States--might have developed at a pace equal to that of his rapidly spreading influence in the state's and nation's aviation industry.

While others in the nation and world looked to the skies and saw little, Harold English looked to the skies and saw much of what we see today--air carriers forming the hub of world commerce--transporting people and goods throughout the world in a manner would now could no longer manage without.

Aviation pioneers and travelers of today, at some time in their lives, passed through airports and traveled on airlines that grew from seeds planted by Harold English in the late 1920s and early 1930s. The dynamism of people like Harold English became the lifeblood of the aviation industry that we see today.

In a period of only 10 years, Harold English laid down his trowel and turned from bricklaying to piloting aircraft, barnstorming from airport to airport, convincing city, state and national leaders of the power and benefits of commercial aviation, building a network of passenger and cargo air service across the south plains, touting the value of the south plains as the primary hub for airliners moving from coast to coast at ever increasing speeds.

Additional information regarding other aviation pioneers may be seen at the Texas Air & Space Museum.